On one hand I'd say just address it in the draft, and for now that seems the best strategy. That said, the reality seems that we are in position for a Super Bowl run. I think either Woodson or Winfield would be an upgrade at a position that absolutely killed us last year, so with the Super Bowl in mind, why not bring one in if the draft doesn't pan out?

And did somebody pick up Asante Samuel? He's a pretty solid nickle CB as well.

Last edited by MysterMatt on Mon Apr 01, 2013 8:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Health is still a bit of a question mark, but I am totally comfortable going into the season with Thurmond as nickel corner.

He has had a tough time staying on the field, but if he can put his ouchies behind him, he is a hell of a talented corner.I also expect more improvement from Lane this year. Tru held the nickel spot mainly due to his experience and Walter needing to heal, but with a year under their belts, I expect to see our young secondary players contributing much more.

I still think that Jeremy Lane is going to be a great presence in the slot this season, a massive upgrade over Tru. Having said that, I'd still draft another CB to add to the mix. A nice little competition between Lane, Thurmond III, and a draftee for the Nickel CB spot. It'd be excellent if one of them could step up and shut down the slot like Casey Hayward did as a rookie for the Packers this season. Because of his quickness, speed, and ability to get physical, I like Lane for the job.

Nickel corner is one of the hardest positions to fill because that player will get beat time and time again. Nobody gets an angle on Welker, Gonzalez etc. Those are the types of players you come up against. There's no obvious solution here because the position is such a thankless task.

Name five great nickel corners, currently employed by a team. I'm struggling to name one.

This is an area you have to combat by being creative with your play calling, press the QB and survive. You can't stop guys like Welker getting their catches.

As for Tyrann Mathieu... I'll bet anything he plays free safety and not nickel corner.

theENGLISHseahawk wrote:Nickel corner is one of the hardest positions to fill because that player will get beat time and time again. Nobody gets an angle on Welker, Gonzalez etc. Those are the types of players you come up against. There's no obvious solution here because the position is such a thankless task.

Name five great nickel corners, currently employed by a team. I'm struggling to name one.

This is an area you have to combat by being creative with your play calling, press the QB and survive. You can't stop guys like Welker getting their catches.

As for Tyrann Mathieu... I'll bet anything he plays free safety and not nickel corner.

Well, there's Casey Hayward in Green Bay for starters. He probably had the best season in the slot last year, plus he was a rookie. And if you change your criteria from "currently employed by a team" to "currently in the league" there's Charles Woodson, Antoine Winfield. There's also Chris Harris in Denver who's a pretty solid nickel, and my personal favorite Javier Arenas from KC.

Overall though, I agree with what you're saying about needing to be creative in order to stop a good slot receiver. Another key is limiting the YAC. A guy like Welker, like you said, will always get his catches. It's making sure you have sure tackling and punishing him every time he touches the rock that will help contain him.

theENGLISHseahawk wrote:Nickel corner is one of the hardest positions to fill because that player will get beat time and time again. Nobody gets an angle on Welker, Gonzalez etc. Those are the types of players you come up against. There's no obvious solution here because the position is such a thankless task.

Name five great nickel corners, currently employed by a team. I'm struggling to name one.

This is an area you have to combat by being creative with your play calling, press the QB and survive. You can't stop guys like Welker getting their catches.

As for Tyrann Mathieu... I'll bet anything he plays free safety and not nickel corner.

Well, there's Casey Hayward in Green Bay for starters. He probably had the best season in the slot last year, plus he was a rookie. And if you change your criteria from "currently employed by a team" to "currently in the league" there's Charles Woodson, Antoine Winfield. There's also Chris Harris in Denver who's a pretty solid nickel, and my personal favorite Javier Arenas from KC.

Overall though, I agree with what you're saying about needing to be creative in order to stop a good slot receiver. Another key is limiting the YAC. A guy like Welker, like you said, will always get his catches. It's! making sure you have sure tackling and punishing him every time he touches the rock that will help contain him.

I and pinksheets brought up in another thread that Woodson isn't really considered a nickel corner any more. I wouldn't bring him in, personally. I think it better to draft some speedy talent at the CB position and try to upgrade WILL in hopes that you can guide any slot receiver into the hornet's nest that is the middle of the field.

Sarlacc83 wrote:I and pinksheets brought up in another thread that Woodson isn't really considered a nickel corner any more. I wouldn't bring him in, personally. I think it better to draft some speedy talent at the CB position and try to upgrade WILL in hopes that you can guide any slot receiver into the hornet's nest that is the middle of the field.

I agree, he's more of a safety now. I just don't get alot of people's obsession with bringing in old vets. We don't need that now. Let's develop the guys we've got. Lane and Guy are promising players who will challege for bigger roles this year. I fully expect us to draft 1-2 more secondary players in the draft. We should be fine at nickleback without breaking the bank on the aging vets.

theENGLISHseahawk wrote:Nickel corner is one of the hardest positions to fill because that player will get beat time and time again. Nobody gets an angle on Welker, Gonzalez etc. Those are the types of players you come up against. There's no obvious solution here because the position is such a thankless task.

Name five great nickel corners, currently employed by a team. I'm struggling to name one.

This is an area you have to combat by being creative with your play calling, press the QB and survive. You can't stop guys like Welker getting their catches.

As for Tyrann Mathieu... I'll bet anything he plays free safety and not nickel corner.

Well, there's Casey Hayward in Green Bay for starters. He probably had the best season in the slot last year, plus he was a rookie. And if you change your criteria from "currently employed by a team" to "currently in the league" there's Charles Woodson, Antoine Winfield. There's also Chris Harris in Denver who's a pretty solid nickel, and my personal favorite Javier Arenas from KC.

Overall though, I agree with what you're saying about needing to be creative in order to stop a good slot receiver. Another key is limiting the YAC. A guy like Welker, like you said, will always get his catches. It's! making sure you have sure tackling and punishing him every time he touches the rock that will help contain him.

Online bully

You best recognize. Papa ain't takin no mo mess up in here. Thanks for making me look like a giant ass. To be fair, I guess I did it to myself. I was just pointing out that there's still some damn good nickel CB's in the league and they deserve some love too. See how I spun that one?

For some reason, I still see us getting Woodson. Petey was gushing over him when FA started and Uncle Pete always gets his man. He's got the Schneider/Green Bay ties on top of that, which will give journalists all across Seattle even more material to write about Woodson to go along with his "veteranosity" and "will to win." On a serious note, I actually think Woodson would do alright in Seattle as a backup safety/sometimes nickel CB. Jeremy Lane is still my guy for the job though, personally, and how cool would it be to see Walter Thurmond finally have a healthy, excellent season next year? He'd be a great nickel and kearly would be HYPED! Lane/Thurmond/Woodson would surely get the Nickel/Dime jobs done in my mind.

Seahawksfan425 wrote:Charles Woodson and Antoine Winfield are still free agents. Anyone think we pursue them? I personally would love to sign Winfield and have him compete with a drafted nickel corner.

Both these guys are holding out for bigger contracts. Which they won't get until teams get desperate right before the season starts.

Right now all anyone's offering for old veterans like Woodson, Winfield, Urlacher, etc is one year low ball/incentive based deals. They know if they wait til the end of training camp that teams will have injury problems and they can get more money. So I wouldn't expect these guys to sign until August.

I have faith in Jeremy Lane as nickel back, or Thurm if he stays healthy. If we go another route, I'd rather we grab Honey Badger.

"I'm not the type to let a sleeping giant lie. I wake up the giant, slap him around, make him mad and beat him to the ground. I talk a big game because I carry a big stick." --- All-Pro Stanford Graduate